MELBOURNE: England all-rounder Sam Curran says third-party referees should be able to rule on players blocking the field rather than requiring players to appeal as Tuesday’s debate over Matthew Wade’s clash with Mark Wood continued in a T20 World Cup Warm-up.
Wade put out an arm to obstruct Wood as the England paceman ran across the pitch to attempt a catch in Perth on Sunday, sparking criticism of Australia’s wicketkeeper batsman from fans and media pundits.
However, England captain Jos Buttler declined to appeal the obstruction of the field but later said he did not see the incident clearly and also wanted to avoid controversy early in the series.
Curran said his captain “probably” made the right decision under the circumstances but felt similar decisions could be better taken out of the hands of players in the future.
“As a player, you watch the ball go up and we look at that rather than maybe the actual movements of the players involved,” he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
“Maybe that’s the easiest way, just go straight to the third referee, it’s probably difficult for the referees on the field because they’re probably watching the ball too.
“Hopefully it doesn’t happen too often (but) in those big moments it could be a wicket that could win you the game or it could lose the game, so maybe that’s the best way.”
With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, Buttler said after England’s eight-round win on Sunday he might have appealed had the stakes been higher.
Curran agreed that the weight of a World Cup game could change things.
“For example, if you play a game against Australia and at a World Cup, your competitive advantage will be out there and you will want to win at all costs,” he said.
“Right now you would hope they take it upstairs (to the third umpire) and the best decision is made because Woody threw a nice ball there and he probably deserved a wicket and he (Wade) kind of got in a little bit the way.”
England play their second T20 warm-up game against Australia in Canberra on Wednesday.